


Wolf Circle

by Metal_Ox137



Series: The New Mutants [4]
Category: New Mutants (Comics), The New Mutants (2020)
Genre: Adoption, Depression, F/F, F/M, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Suicidal Thoughts, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:26:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28120848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: Episode 4 of The New Mutants seriesRahne calls on shamanistic powers to restore the spiritual health of her fellow students, while Illyana creates a new ‘first contact’ team for the school.
Relationships: Danielle Moonstar/Rahne Sinclair, Jean Grey/Scott Summers, Roberto da Costa/Illyana Rasputin
Series: The New Mutants [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037208
Comments: 19
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

“Earth to Illy? Hello?”

Roberto da Costa waved a hand in front of his girlfriend’s face. Illyana Rasputin’s vacant gaze sharpened as she came to with a sudden start.

“Berto? Wow. Sorry. My mind was wandering,” she apologized.

“I’ll say. You were really gone there,” Berto replied. “Those must have been some seriously deep thoughts.”

“They kinda were,” Illyana admitted. 

“Anything you want to share?”

It was the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year; and although the sun was just barely peeking over the trees, it was fairly late in the morning. The two lovers were laying side by side in bed, in Berto’s bedroom, at the annex of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, still languorous from a deep sleep that was as close to hibernation as humans can experience. They had both been awake for a while, but neither of them showed any inclination to get out of bed - or do much of anything else. Fortunately, it was also the weekend, and the middle of the holiday break, which meant no classes, and no reason to get out of bed at all if they didn’t want. 

Illyana smiled at her boyfriend. “I think I just had an epiphany.”

Roberto frowned. “Sounds contagious.”

Illyana gave him a playful swat. “I was thinking about the class discussion we had last week. About visualizing our futures.”

Roberto pushed himself up on one elbow. “So, what are you visualizing?”

“It just occurred to me that sooner or later, I’m going to have to ‘graduate’ - or at least, stop being a student and start doing something else.” Illyana sat up, but as she did so, she shivered involuntarily. Although the heat was on, the room was still somewhat chilly, and underneath the bedcovers she was only wearing a white satin camisole, the same one she’d worn the first night she and Berto had slept together. As she’d told him at the time, she didn’t own any lingerie as such - and the camisole, which doubled as her nightdress, was the closest thing she had. 

Roberto frowned. “For goodness’ sake, Illy, put something warm on.”

“You don’t mind?” Illyana asked. “I mean, I’m fine under the blankets, but...”

“Honestly, I don’t care if you come to bed wearing six pairs of sweats,” Roberto assured her. “It’s the middle of winter. Make yourself comfortable.” He gave her a boyish grin. “I love that you wore that nightdress for me. And you look great in it. But we’ll have all summer for you to wear nothing, or next to nothing.”

“Okay, but... my dragon P.J.s aren’t exactly what you’d call sexy.”

“Illy, as soon as you put them on, they’re sexy,” Roberto declared.

Smiling at him gratefully, Illyana slipped from the bed, and, braving the cold, quickly shrugged herself out of her camisole and gathered up a pair of soft woolen pajamas from the dresser, festooned with purple cartoon fire-breathing dragons. She put the heavier garments on as quickly as she could, and practically dived back into the warmth of the bed. Roberto pulled her close, spooning her and pulling the blankets back up over them both. 

“Nice dragon P.J.s,” Roberto declared. “Great fashion statement.”

“Hey! Don’t diss my Lockheed jammies,” Illyana ruffed. “They’re my favorites.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Roberto assured her. 

Illyana shivered violently. “Ugh. We really need to remind the professor to turn up the heat upstairs.”

“We’ll have you toasty warm in no time,” Roberto promised, and then he chuckled. “I thought Russians just laughed at the cold.”

“I haven’t lived in Russia since I was six,” Illyana reminded him. She shivered again, only slightly this time, but she snuggled tightly against him, and a few moments later, she relaxed, feeling their shared warmth quickly incubating them both. She sighed happily, utterly content.

“So, tell me about this epiphany you had,” Roberto said. 

“Well, I actually started thinking about this right after the class. When Dani asked me if I’d ever considered trying out for the X-Men.”

“I remember her mentioning it.”

“I guess she thought since Piotr and Katya are already on the team, I’d be a perfect fit.”

“But you don’t agree?”

Illyana put a shoulder up. “Berto, I’m sorry, but if we’re gonna talk, then I want to see your face. I mean, I’m really, _really_ comfortable right now...”

“We can talk, or we can spoon. You tell me. Whatever you want.”

“Can we go back to the spooning afterwards?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

After a moment’s reluctance, Illyana rolled away from Roberto onto her side, so they could be facing each other. She reached for his hand under the covers and squeezed it tightly. 

“So, Dani said you should try out for the X-Men...” Roberto prompted. 

“And I kind of balked at the suggestion. Yeah.”

“Why? What she said made sense, didn’t it? Or maybe you don’t feel you’d be comfortable working alongside Katya, or your brother?”

“No, it isn’t that,” Illyana said. “Although... my brother hasn’t really seen me at my worst. Not like you guys have. And yeah, it’s the secret that’s not a secret, we both know I’m not his ‘little snowflake’ any more...” she made a face. “Still, I’d like Piotr to be able to hold on to the illusion that I might be halfway normal, for as long as that’s possible.”

“I think your brother would still accept you as you are, even if you went full-blown demon on him,” Roberto declared.

“Yeah, he probably would. But I’d rather not put him in that position. He understands I have a darker side. But that’s a whole different thing than actually seeing it.”

“So, being an X-Man is completely out of the question?”

“No, not at all. But... I think I may have come up with something even better.”

Roberto was instantly intrigued. “Let’s hear it.”

“One of the things Professor Xavier always complains about is that he doesn’t really have a true ‘first contact’ team. Anytime he goes searching for new students, even when he finds one, he’s got to dispatch a team of X-Men to meet that person - and those contacts could be anywhere in the world. Any team that’s sent out could be gone for days, or maybe even weeks. But that’s not true for me. I can be anywhere in the world, in the time it takes me to create a stepping disc. And I can bring any potential students here to the campus just as quickly - and without having a whole team of X-Men gone for a week to track one person down.”

“You want to be part of a first contact team.”

“I want to be the leader of a first contact team. Yes.”

“Illy, that’s a totally awesome idea!”

“You really think so?” Illyana asked. “I was trying to think of some way I could ask the Professor about it, without sounding completely arrogant or smart-assed or anything.”

“I think you should tell him what you just told me. That would work fine.”

“I dunno, shouldn’t I have a presentation, or something?”

“Illy, you don’t need a sales pitch. You’ve already identified a legitimate need, and a role that you can immediately step into. I think if you bring it up, the Professor will be very happy that you did. Hell, he might like the idea so much he’d let you graduate early.”

“You really think so?”

“The one thing he wouldn’t let you do, though, is work alone,” Roberto cautioned. “He’d insist that you have a couple of X-Men with you... or at least a partner.”

“Actually, I did have a partner in mind,” Illyana confided shyly.

“Oh, yeah? And who is that?”

Illyana grimaced. “Please don’t be mad if I say it isn’t you.”

“Why would I be mad? I’m just your boyfriend. I’m not expecting to monopolize all other parts of your life.”

“You really are very sweet sometimes, you know that?”

Roberto grinned. “Come on, spill. Who are thinking of? Katya?”

“She was the first person I thought of,” Illyana admitted. “But I’m pretty sure she’d say no.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I think when she’s done being an X-Man, she wants to be a teacher. Sit in a cozy classroom all day. Not popping off all over the world looking for trouble.”

“Are you going to at least ask her?”

“Oh, of course. But for my first partner, I was actually thinking of asking Jean.”

Roberto frowned for a moment, considering.

“Okay. I can totally see that,” Roberto decided, nodding his head in approval.

“Really?” Illyana sighed with relief.

“Sure. She’d be a perfect partner for a first contact team,” Roberto said. “She can always do a quick mind scan to make sure the potential student is actually who they say they are, and also make sure you’re not walking into a situation that could go sideways - and even if it does, she’s seen combat against other super-powered mutants. Plus, she’s one of the strongest mutants there is. Between the two of you, there really isn’t anything you couldn’t handle.”

“Uhh, actually, I hadn’t even thought of that,” Illyana confessed. “I was thinking more along the lines of, Jean’s very approachable. I know that sometimes I can come off as a little intense, or even scary. I don’t mean to be, but I do. And I thought, if I were a kid totally freaked out by strange powers that suddenly popped out of nowhere, and then some strange adult showed up on my doorstep saying they can help, Jean is the sort of person I would naturally respond to. She could tell me that everything’s going to be okay, and I would absolutely believe her.”

“Uhh, okay, that’s valid too,” Roberto nodded.

Illyana grinned at him. “Not everything is a trap, Berto.”

“No. But it never hurts to be prepared,” he pointed out. “Anyways, yes, I think you should ask Jean right away, see if she’s interested.”

“I was kinda worried about asking her, only because she’s just started working as a teaching assistant with Scott. Maybe she likes what she’s doing now.”

“I’m sure she likes what she’s doing now,” Roberto nodded. “That doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like this even better. But you won’t know, unless you ask her.”

“Okay, so now I have to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

“Are _you_ okay with this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well... suppose the Professor says yes, and Jean says yes, and we start working in the field right away. That would mean we wouldn’t be seeing each other all day, like we do now.”

“If you’re asking my permission, you don’t need it,” Roberto said. “This is your life, Illy. It’s your decision. Sure, if you were gone all day, I’d miss you. But this could be something really great for you. Something that not only helps the school, but helps you grow as a person. Give you all kinds of experiences you might not otherwise have. Certainly nothing you’d get from sitting in a classroom all day. I gotta say, I’m actually kind of excited about your idea. And as long as you’re still planning on coming home every night and telling me about all the adventures you had, I’m fine with it. I have no intentions of putting you on a leash.” He paused for a moment. “Unless you have some kinky role play in mind that you haven’t told me about, that is.”

Illyana’s smile grew wider across her face. She abruptly sat up, and started removing her pajamas.

“What’s this? We were just getting warm,” Roberto protested.

“I know,” Illyana answered, a little breathlessly. “But you’re being entirely too perfect right now, and I just have to fuck you senseless.”

Roberto groaned in mock dismay as Illyana hastily finished disrobing.

“Well... if you _insist,”_ he sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

It was just after 9 AM, and Hank McCoy was sitting in his study with Moira MacTaggert. The semester had just concluded, which meant for them the real work was just beginning. While the students would enjoy a three-week break, the teachers had a chance to review progress to date, and begin planning for the following semester. Jean Grey came to the doorway and rapped gently on the frame. 

Hank McCoy looked up from the sheaf of papers he was reviewing, and he smiled warmly. “Jean. Come in, please.”

As Jean came into the room, she carefully closed the study doors behind her, and as she took the empty seat next to Moira, Hank’s smile faded. There was a look of worry on Jean’s face that gave him pause.

“Something’s wrong,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry,” Jean apologized. “I don’t want to alarm you, but we have a problem.”

Moira MacTaggert frowned in concern. “What is it, Jean?”

“I’m very concerned about Amara. She’s experiencing an episode of suicidal ideation. Very intense, very powerful.”

Hank and Moira exchanged looks of grave concern. 

“Please tell us everything you know,” Hank urged.

“Last night, I woke up because Amara’s thoughts were projecting. Her distress was so acute, she basically punched right through my telepathic shields. I went to check on her. Rahne was with her, and she had been sitting up with her half the night. I had to give Amara a telepathic sedative - placed her in a temporary fugue state so that her mind and spirit could reset. When she finally calmed down, she told me she hadn’t been sleeping well for days, and that she’s been having very vivid nightmares about her father’s death. She admitted she’s been fighting suicidal impulses for several days now.”

“She’s having nightmares?” Moira frowned. “Is there any possibility Dani’s powers are involved?”

Jean shook her head. “I took the liberty of running a low-level telepathic scan. I couldn’t find anything to suggest Dani has anything to do with this.”

“All the same, I’d best review the monitor logs,” Moira said. “I haven’t received any alert messages. But it wouldn’t hurt to check. See if there has been any unusual activity in Dani’s psionic output the last couple of nights.”

“Please do,” Jean nodded. “But I suspect this is simply Amara’s own trauma, playing itself out. We’re in the holiday season, and this is the first time Amara won’t be home with her family - and of course, the memories of her father’s death are very much in the front of her mind. She’s having extreme difficulty coping.” Jean let out a ragged sigh. “I don’t believe Amara actually wants to kill herself. She has, on her own initiative, reached out to Rahne and Sam, and confided to them that she was feeling depressed. She asked them to check on her frequently.”

Hank frowned. “That’s something they should have told us about, at once,” he murmured in disapproval.

“I don’t believe Amara confided to them the true severity of her symptoms,” Jean said. “I think they were both unaware how bad she was really feeling - until last night. Still, I’ve reminded them that in future, they should certainly notify one or both of you of any such signs, however inconsequential they might seem at first.”

Hank nodded approvingly. “You did the right thing, of course. Please go on.”

“Amara’s reaching out to her friends is, to me, a healthy sign. But I believe she’s still in very real danger. And with your permission, there are certain actions I’d like to take.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I don’t want Amara left alone. At least for the next seventy-two hours, someone should be with her at all times. Scott and I will be happy to help, but I believe Amara will feel more comfortable in the company of the other students. I especially don’t want her left alone at night. I’d like to ask Sam and Rahne if they would take turns staying in Amara’s room with her - at least until we’re sure she’s out of danger.”

“I have no problems with that,” Hank declared. “What else?”

“I will provide Amara with another telepathic sedative, if she needs one. But I must admit, I don’t favor that approach. As you know, Charles, with the very best of intentions, tried to block the trauma of my mother’s death - bury it so deep it could never resurface. And we all know how that turned out.” Jean smiled grimly. “I will try to help keep Amara emotionally stable, but she needs to be able to work through this on her own. I want to reserve any manipulation of her emotional state as a last resort.”

“I concur with that, certainly,” Hank nodded.

“Amara’s not the only one we need to be concerned about. Dani is also experiencing bouts of depression, not as extreme as Amara’s, but it still worries me. She hasn’t said anything to anyone. I only know about it because I picked it up when I did my scan last night. In another month, it will be a year since her father died. She’s hiding it, but she’s hurting. We should keep an eye on her, too. Which brings me to my last suggestion.”

“I think I already know what it is,” Hank managed a smile. “And I don’t even read minds.”

Jean returned the smile. “I’d like to drop my telepathic shielding temporarily. At the risk of being invasive, it’s the best way I can keep an eye on the emotional temperature of the household. And I’d like to continue doing that throughout the holidays, because for most of the students, this is time when they are missing loved ones they’ve lost, or can’t go home to. It’s a time of gathering, and most of them can’t gather, which in itself is creating stress and anxiety.”

Moira frowned with concern. “If you drop your shielding, doesn’t that mean you’ll be bombarded with everyone’s private thoughts, day and night?”

Jean managed a smile. “Don’t worry, I can turn the volume down, so to speak. But if someone starts screaming inside their head, I want to be able to reach them and help them before something genuinely bad happens. I promise, as much as possible, I’ll stay out of your heads. I want your thoughts to be your own as much as you do.”

“I have no objections to anything you’ve suggested,” Hank said, and he looked to Moira for confirmation. She nodded her approval. “Please proceed with those actions at once. And of course, keep us advised of any changes, however small.”

“Yes, I will,” Jean promised.

Hank turned to Moira again. “We will need to speak with Amara about this. And probably Dani, as well.”

“Let me talk to Amara,” Moira suggested. “She knows me, or at least, she knows me better than any other member of the faculty. And I believe she trusts me. If she confides something critical, I’ll certainly advise you.”

“If you think you have the best chance of helping her, then by all means.” 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to try talking to Dani,” Jean said. “I realize I’m new here, and she doesn’t know me that well yet. But I think I might be able to reach her, and establish a rapport with her.”

“Of course,” Hank nodded. “Please keep me advised of your progress. And Jean, thank you. I know you’re not comfortable relaying intimate information about another person’s thoughts. But you made the right call here. This shouldn’t go overlooked.”

“And maybe we should check on Illy, too,” Moira suggested. “I do know she’s had serious problems with depression and suicidal thoughts in the past.”

Jean smiled. “At the moment, Illy and Berto are the two people we don’t need to worry about,” she assured them. “They’re literally swimming in a sea of their own endorphins.”

“Ahh, romance,” Hank sighed. “The eternal restorative.”

Jean couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. 

“Love heals,” she insisted. “I know that makes me sound like a greeting card, but it’s true. Love is the only reason I’m still alive. I believe in its power now, more than I ever have. It’s a literal source of miracles.”

Hank gave her an unexpectedly poignant look.

“Yes, it is,” he agreed soberly.


	3. Chapter 3

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Amara Aquilla was sitting on the lowest step of the back porch, huddled inside her winter coat, leggings and boots. She was staring off into the distance, which consisted mostly a tableaux of bare trees, graying skies and week-old snow. Sam Guthrie came up to her, and Amara looked up at him and smiled faintly. 

“Hey, Sam.”

“Mind some company?”

“Not at all.”

Sam took a seat on the step beside Amara, and regarded her with concern.

“You okay?”

Amara didn’t answer immediately. She sighed, then held out her bare hand, letting it warm not to full lava form, but just enough so it glowed red-hot.

“You know what?” she said. “I haven’t been here very long. But I have realized one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I hate snow.” 

To emphasize her point, she created a small glob of lava in her hand, and flicked it off into a nearby snowbank. Most of the snow immediately evaporated into superheated steam, giving off an almost comical ‘whooshing’ sound. 

Sam couldn’t help but laugh. “It does lose its appeal, after the fourth or fifth storm,” he agreed. 

“So, did I wake the entire house last night?”

“Naw, not everybody.” Sam paused. “You sure scared the hell out of the ones you did wake, though.”

“I’m sorry.” The apology was automatic. “I just feel...”

Amara stopped in mid-sentence, and she didn’t seem to be searching for words; she just couldn’t be bothered to finish.

“Feel what?” Sam prompted gently.

“Well, I was going to say, useless or worthless, or something like that. But that’s not true. Actually, I don’t feel anything at all. I just feel kind of... empty. Numb.”

“Pain does that sometimes,” Sam agreed. 

“Did you feel like that?” Amara asked hesitantly. “After your father died?”

“Hell, Amara, most days I _still_ feel like that,” Sam answered. 

“How do you deal with that?”

Sam shrugged. “I dunno. Choice. Habit. Inertia. Take your pick. I guess I get up and carry on, not because I want to, but... the alternative is to just lay in bed and die. And... I ain’t ready for that. Not yet.”

Amara sat in silence for a long time, considering Sam’s words.

“Do you miss your home?” she asked.

Sam shook his head. “I used to. But naw, not no more.”

“Really?” Amara asked in surprise. “You don’t miss your home at all?”

“Oh, I miss my mom. And my sisters. I miss them something fierce. And my dad, of course. I dream about him most every night. Not like you, though,” he added quickly. “Mostly, they’re good dreams. Mostly. But everything else... no.”

“Why not?”

“Well, actually, being here is why not. Since I came to Xavier’s, I’ve made friends from all over the world. That’s been the best part about being here, really. Meeting people from Russia, and Scotland, and Brazil...” at the mention of Amara’s home country, Sam grinned at her, but that grin quickly faded. “And I realized, if I ever showed up in my home town with my friends, like Berto, who’s black, or Dani, who’s Cheyenne...” Sam shook his head. “That’d be bad enough. And if anybody found out we were mutants, well... that’d be some shit, right there. And the more I thought about it, I guess I decided if I can’t ever go back there with my friends... then it ain’t home no more.”

“So, if that’s not your home, then what is?”

“I ask myself that question every day.” Sam scooped up some loose snow, fashioned a crude snowball, and hook-shotted it into a nearby snowbank. “I like it here. A lot. I’m also pretty sure I don’t want to spend the rest of my life here.”

“I miss my home,” Amara said, with some passion. “I miss it more and more every day. But I suppose I’m like you. I know I can never go back. Not to live. Not to be accepted by anyone...” 

She broke off abruptly, her supposedly dead emotions suddenly springing back to painful life. 

“My family... all my friends... they’ll never see me as Amara ever again,” she said hoarsely. “They just see this... _thing._ This monster. A creature that could kill them all with a single touch. My mother... before I left, she wouldn’t even speak to me. Wouldn’t even _look_ at me. It wouldn’t matter if I kept my human form the rest of my life. All she sees is a demon that murdered her husband. And she’s not wrong. I killed my own father. I _destroyed_ my family. And I’ll never have any of them back. Not ever.”

She crossed her arms over her knees, dropped her head into her lap, and began to cry in great, heartbroken sobs. 

Sam put a comforting hand on Amara’s back, and began to rub gently, back and forth. It took several minutes for Amara to cry herself out. When she finally did, Sam pulled her close and hugged her tightly.

“Amara, what happened with your dad, that was an accident.”

“Sam, do you think I don’t _know_ that?” Amara cried.

“I know,” Sam sighed somberly. “Didn’t make me feel one bit better, either.”

He gave her another comforting squeeze.

“I see you, Amara,” he said quietly. “I see you in this form, I see you in your mutant form. And you are beautiful. You are not a monster. You are not a murderer. You are a good soul. Anybody who don’t see that is choosing not to see. I ain’t willfully blind. Something terrible happened to you. But I _see_ you. I will always see you. The _real_ you. I accept you. I love you.”

Amara was still wracked with a few sobs, but the storm had quieted, although huge tears were still running down her face. 

“Thank you, Sam,” she said brokenly. 

They huddled together on the step, and Amara’s breathing slowly returned to normal. A bitter wind from the northeast began teasing, then stinging them. Another storm was coming.

“How you doing?” Sam asked.

“Not good,” Amara admitted. “But... better. Thanks.”

She straightened up, and sighed. “I wish I could be like Illy sometimes, just go completely crazy, and not care what anyone thinks.”

“Yeah, well... Illy pays a steep price for her brand of crazy,” Sam reminded her. “And even she’s starting to settle down a bit.”

“I suppose she is. I still admire her fearlessness.”

“Fearlessness, or recklessness?”

Amara managed a grin. “Maybe a little of both. She really has toned down the hostility, though. That’s nice.”

“I think that’s because Illy’s finally decided this is her home.”

“Maybe home isn’t where you’re from,” Amara said thoughtfully. “Maybe... it’s who you’re with.”

She took Sam’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Her own hand was still radiating considerable warmth. She gave him a beautiful, radiant smile, her first unforced smile in days. 

The wind began to blast at them again, more insistently this time. Sam grinned.

“Well? You want to sit out here, and freeze our asses off?” he cajoled her. “Or, we could go inside, make some cocoa, grab everybody else and play a couple of rounds of Catan or something in front of the fireplace. That sound like it might be any fun at all?”

Amara discreetly wiped her tear-stained cheeks, before the water could freeze to her face.

“I think I’d like that, very much,” Amara nodded. “Thank you, Sam.”

Hand in hand, they walked back to the house together.


	4. Chapter 4

It was mid-morning when Illyana Rasputin teleported over to the main campus of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. She’d just been given Professor McCoy’s blessing to present her “first contact” idea to Professor Xavier, and, buoyed by her teacher’s evident enthusiasm, she couldn’t wait to share the news with her best friend, Kitty Pryde. 

When she arrived at the school, she belatedly realized she was still wearing her activewear that she normally wore when practicing her powers: a dark, short-sleeved sports top with padded shoulders and matching shorts, elbow pads and boots. She made a face, annoyed that she forgot to change; but she knew Kitty wouldn’t mind, and anyone else seeing her in the hallways would simply think she was just another student coming back from the gym. She hurried to Kitty’s room, and when she peeked in, Kitty was sitting up on the bed, a huge pile of textbooks in front of her, with the top one propped open. She looked up, saw Illyana, and squealed with delight.

“Illy!”

She hopped off the bed, and quickly gathered her friend into her arms for a welcoming hug. Illyana returned the hug willingly. 

“I didn’t know you were coming over today,” Kitty said, when they finally released each other. She stopped abruptly, seeing the bright pink scars running across Illyana’s bare stomach. “Whoa, what happened to you?”

Illyana grinned. “Got into a big fight with Dani.”

“Holy _shit,_ Illy,” Kitty murmured, shocked. Like Dani, Kitty hardly ever swore; it took a good deal to provoke her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Illyana promised. 

“Are you sure?” Kitty grimaced. “Those look pretty nasty.”

Illyana positively beamed. “I know, aren’t they great? I feel like a total badass.”

“Did you guys get into any trouble?”

“Did we...” Illyana paused for a moment, and then, realizing what Kitty meant, she quickly disclaimed. “Oh! No, no. It was nothing like that,” she assured her. “This was a practice session. Dani and I were testing our powers against each other, and Professor McCoy and Doctor MacTaggert were there, watching everything.”

“Please tell me they stopped it before you guys killed each other.”

Illyana grinned. “It really wasn’t that bad. It got a little rough in spots. But it was a good fight. Moonstar surprised me. She actually knows how to throw down.”

“Is Dani okay?”

“She’s fine. I kicked her ass.”

Kitty rolled her eyes. “So, what, have the professors placed you two on restraining orders after this?”

“No, no, not at all. Dani and I are really tight now. We still push each other, but it’s good pushing. I try not to admit it, but we’re actually friends.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Kitty sighed, and then she grinned. “Does that mean she’s your bestie now?”

“Never,” Illyana declared. “You’re _always_ my bestie. Forever and ever.”

Kitty smiled at the compliment. “So, what brings you out here today?”

Illyana grinned. “I have a proposal for you.”

Kitty hastily cleared away the textbooks from her bed. “Tell me everything,” she pleaded.

The two friends clambered up onto the bed, and sat facing each other; Illyana haltingly explained what she had described to Berto that morning about a new “first contact” team. To Illyana’s surprise, Kitty seemed quite taken with the suggestion. 

“Oh, this is a wonderful idea, Illy! I’m in. Please tell me I’m in.”

“God! Yes! Of _course_ you’re in.” Illyana gave her a puzzled look. “Honestly, Katya, I thought you’d say no.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, because I know you want to be a schoolteacher, and work in the classroom. Not in the field.”

“You’re right, I do,” Kitty affirmed, nodding her head. “But realistically, that’s not happening for another four or five years yet. There’s plenty of adventures you and I could be having in the meantime.”

Kitty gave her friend a wistful smile. “I really do miss you, you know. I wish you’d come over more often.”

“I will, I will,” Illyana promised. “And you know, you’re allowed to visit me at the annex any time you want. Come see how the bad kids live.” She grinned. “Now that you’re out of your stupid time bubble and everything. Oh, and I have a boyfriend now.”

Kitty’s mouth fell open in shock. “You don’t.”

“I do,” Illyana affirmed, bobbing her head. “You remember Berto, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes. The really cute one, with all the...”

“All the muscles. Yeah.” Illyana smiled, a shy, but distinctly lustful smile. 

“And when did this happen?”

“I dunno. It’s been a couple of weeks, I guess. I’m sorry, Katya. I should have told you sooner, it’s just that...”

“You were too busy playing with your new boy toy to notice time passing,” Kitty teased.

“Well, yeah, actually,” Illyana admitted.

“Now who’s stuck in a time bubble?” Kitty grinned at her friend, shaking her head in mock disbelief. “Illyana Rasputin, you really surprise me sometimes.”

“Oh, stop it,” Illyana scoffed.

“So? Details! I want details! I want _intimate_ details,” Kitty urged.

“Well, he’s a hardbody, that’s for sure,” Illyana allowed, actually nibbling her lip. “He has the physique and conditioning of a world-class athlete. I never really valued that quality before. Boy, do I ever now.”

Kitty laughed. “Well, don’t stop there!”

Illyana paused, searching for the best way to describe her new experiences to her friend. “He really surprises me,” she said finally. “In a good way. When you first meet him, he turns on that charm, and if you didn’t know him, you’d actually think he was kind of shallow. But, he’s really not. When I got sick, he practically waited on me hand and foot, every day, until I was better. He’s very attentive. Not just in bed. In everything. We started talking, really talking, and...” She gave Kitty an enigmatic smile. “I just feel with him the way I always feel with you. Unguarded. I can just be myself, even my worst self, and it’s okay. And I know this sounds stupid, but when we talk, I’m always surprised how deep our conversations get.”

“Oh, my,” Kitty sighed. “Illy, you’re in love. For real in love.”

“I know,” Illyana groaned. “God. What is _happening_ to me?”

Kitty’s expression turned thoughtful. 

“What’s happening is, you’re not Belasco’s little demon girl any more,” she said quietly. 

Illyana looked at Kitty in surprise. “What?”

“You’ve shaken him off,” Kitty affirmed. “You’re not the Darkchilde at his beck and call. You’re turning into the person you’ve always wanted to be, not what someone else groomed you to be.”

Illyana mulled Kitty’s words carefully, surprised by the weight of them - and the rightness of them.

“I think you’re right,” she said in a quiet voice. “I mean, I still have my demonic aspect. But it’s no longer the dominant part of me. It’s a little scary, to be honest.”

“Why?” Kitty asked.

“Well... before, I always knew who I was. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“You’re still Illy,” Kitty said softly. “My Illy. I still see you, and I still love you.”

“I love you too, Katya,” Illyana answered. “I never say that to you,” she added contritely. “And I should. Apart from my brother, you’re the person I love most in the whole world. So I’m going to try to remember to say that to you a lot more often. I love you.”

She smiled self-effacingly. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all mushy on you,” she promised. “But you really are my best friend, and... I just forget to tell you that sometimes.”

Kitty didn’t say anything, but the look on her face told Illyana she’d touched her heart, in the best possible way. 

Illyana grinned at her. “You _do_ know, I would so totally turn gay for you, right?”

Kitty dissolved into peals of laughter. “Illy...!”

“Well, it’s true.”

“I honestly don’t think you’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Well, that could be a problem, since I’m already sleeping with your brother,” Kitty said, still giggling.

“There’s no problem,” Illyana deadpanned. “I don’t get jealous.”

She hopped up off the bed. “I need to go see the professor, before the afternoon classes start,” she decided aloud. “I’ll come find you later, okay?”

She started for the door, but Kitty grabbed the back of her shorts and playfully yanked her back to the bed.

“Whoa, whoa, where are you going?” she scolded. “You can’t go into the professor’s study dressed like that.”

Illyana looked down at her activewear in dismay. “Oh...”

“You’re applying for a job, Illy,” Kitty remonstrated. “Worse, you’re asking the professor to create a new job category for you. So you need to look the part. Now, take off that MMA ‘I-can-kick-everybody’s-ass’ gear, and we’ll find you some clothes that a functioning adult would wear.”

“I am _not_ a functioning adult,” Illyana scoffed.

“Yes, you’ve told me.” Kitty began rummaging through her closet.

Illyana sighed, and began to peel off her clothes. Kitty had good instincts for these sorts of things, and she trusted her judgment completely.

“Here,” Kitty said at last, emerging with a set of hangers bristling with blouses and skirts. “You’re a little bigger than I am, but some of these should fit you.”

A few moments later, Kitty had dressed her friend in an attractive powder blue blouse, a long dark skirt, and dress shoes with risers but no heels. 

“There!” Kitty declared with satisfaction. _“Now,_ you look presentable.”

Illyana regarded herself in Kitty’s free-standing mirror with obvious disgust. She made a face.

“I look like a fucking schoolteacher,” she complained.

“Yes, you do,” Kitty agreed. “And it’s perfect for the kind of conversation you want to have with Professor Xavier. Now, go, go, go!” Kitty exhorted, pushing Illyana towards the door. “You’re almost out of time. And come back afterwards and tell me how it went.”


	5. Chapter 5

As Scott Summers turned the large white panel van into the circular gravel driveway at the front of the ranch house, he saw with surprise that it was Jean Grey waiting for him by the entrance. As he parked, Jean came up to him, smiling. “Hey, handsome.”

“Where’s Sam?” Scott asked, as he stepped down from the cab. “I thought he was going to give me a hand with this.”

“I gave Sam a different assignment.” Jean kissed her future husband on the lips. “I’ll help you unload.”

Scott pulled Jean close, and they shared a longer kiss. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with what happened last night, would it?”

“It would,” Jean nodded. “Come on, I’ll help you lug all this stuff into the kitchen. Then we’ll sit down and I’ll tell you everything that’s been happening.”

“I’ve got an entire van full of groceries and other supplies back there,” he warned her.

“And I can move the entire van load with a snap of my fingers,” Jean said brightly.

As it turned out, having Jean help did make the unloading task much easier. She brought in all the boxes and packages using her telekinetic powers, and between the two of them, the pantries, the laundry room and the walk-in freezer were fully re-stocked in a little under ten minutes. Once the packaging was cleared away, Jean and Scott settled themselves at the kitchen table to share a small pot of coffee. Jean made a quick, discreet telepathic scan to make certain no one was nearby, and then she told him all about her discussion that morning with Hank and Moira.

Scott seemed concerned, but unsurprised. 

“The holidays are so hard for a lot of these kids,” he sighed. “Most of them can’t go home. Or worse, they have no homes to go to. And especially if they’re estranged from their families - it’s rough. They’ve all gotta be feeling like a bunch of castoffs, this time of year.”

“Illy refers to the annex as ‘The Island of Misfit Toys’,” Jean told him.

Scott chuckled. “Well... she’s not necessarily wrong.” 

“I promised Hank I’d talk to Dani, make sure she’s okay,” Jean said. “But, honestly, Scott, I wish I knew what else to do.”

“What else _could_ we do? I mean, no one’s leaving town this year. Everyone, even Hank, is sticking around. We’re having Christmas Eve dinner here, and then Charles is having everyone over to the mansion for Christmas Day. We’re brand new here, Jean. Sure, the students like us, but we’re still basically strangers to them. We’ll bond with them all eventually, but that takes time. You don’t forge that kind of family identity overnight.”

Jean frowned, obviously thinking hard.

“What is it?” Scott asked.

“Scott... you’ve just given me a great idea.” Jean put a finger to her temple, a signal to Scott that she was sending a telepathic summons. A moment later, she opened her eyes and smiled.

“Okay. I need you to disappear for about ten minutes.” She glanced at the wall clock. “And we have just over an hour before we have to start getting lunch ready. I have to go find Dani and have a chat with her. I’m sorry, Scott. That probably means our next baby-making session probably isn’t happening until tonight.”

Scott did his best, and utterly failed, to hide his disappointment. “Well,” he sighed, “We knew when we signed up for this, there would be plenty of interruptions and distractions.”

“We’ll have our chances,” Jean assured him. “I promise you, I’m watching these kids like a hawk. The moment we’re free, I am so tearing your clothes off.”

She gave him a distinctly lustful smile. 

Scott couldn’t hide his delighted, goofy grin. “Ahh... sure. I have no problem with that.”

Jean gave him a playful swat as he got up from the table. “Go on, get out of here,” she teased him. “I’ve got _real_ work to do.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

Scott’s grin hadn’t faded one bit. 

A moment later, Rahne Sinclair came into the kitchen, in answer to Jean’s telepathic summons. 

“Hey, Jean,” she greeted her. “Time for another secret meeting of the Red-Headed League?”

“Yes, it is,” Jean nodded with a smile. “And this time, I need something _really_ special from you, my therapy wolf.”

* * * 

Later that morning, Jean found Dani where she expected to find her: the stables. Dani had just let the horses out, and she was busy refilling the troughs.

“Hey,” Jean greeted her. “Need a hand with that?”

Dani looked up. “Good morning, Jean. No. Thank you. I’m almost done.”

“Not riding today?”

Dani shook her head. “I’ve missed the last couple of days, actually. Usually, Amara comes riding with me and Rahne, but she said she didn’t want to. I wish I knew what to say or do to make her feel better.”

“We’re working on that, Dani, I promise. In the meantime, keep asking her.” She paused. “I just wanted to see how you were feeling.”

“I’m all right,” Dani said automatically, and then she hesitated for a moment. “No. That’s not true,” she said, almost to herself. She gave Jean a pleading look. “Is it okay, if I say I’m not?”

“Dani, of course it’s okay. If you’re hurting, I’d like to help.”

Dani put down the bundle of hay she held in her arms and leaned back against the wooden fence. She sighed heavily. 

“It’s been almost a year since my dad died,” she confided. “And... I still don’t feel any different. I don’t feel like I’ve moved on at all. And I guess I just feel kinda hopeless. That I’m going to wake up, every day for the rest of my life, and the first and only thing I can ever think about is, I killed my dad. And I don’t think I can go on, living like that.”

“Grief is different for everyone, Dani. So is guilt. We all have to move through it at our own pace.”

“I know, I know, I just... it’s been so long. I don’t know how to get past it.”

“You’re not experiencing any suicidal thoughts, are you?”

Dani shook her head. “I would never leave Rahne like that. Never. But, oh, God, I hurt,” she groaned. “I hurt so bad, I can’t even say how bad it is.”

“Actually, what you just said makes me feel very hopeful,” Jean said. “You’re acknowledging the pain is there. That’s an excellent sign that you will move past it. And we’ll do everything we can to help you, Dani.”

“I really want to believe that. I mean, about the moving past it part.”

Dani turned and leaned forward against the fence, but she was in no way relaxed. She was breathing very deliberately, slowly, trying to keep her emotions from boiling over. 

“I did try to kill myself once, actually,” Dani confessed, after several moments had passed. “It was like my second or third day here. I was going to jump off that old clock tower at the edge of the campus. And Rahne stopped me.”

Jean raised an eyebrow. “That’s not in the school records.”

“It wouldn’t be. I never told anyone before. You’re the first person besides Rahne who even knows.”

“So, what happened?”

“Well, nothing happened. I was out on that little ledge, or platform, I don’t know what you call it, and I was really ready to jump. And Rahne, she just followed me out. She’s completely scared of heights. She did it anyway.” Dani actually smiled, remembering. “She was trying to tell me that I should come back inside, that what I was doing wasn’t worth it, and right in the middle of that, she stopped and said, ‘Wow, it’s really high up here.’ I almost died laughing - literally. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her right then and there. She’s so beautiful. And so brave. She saved me that day. And every day since.”

Jean looked around the frozen fields. “Is Rahne out here now?”

“Oh, she’ll be off chasing rabbits somewhere. She never strays far from home, though. I could whistle for her, if you like.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.” Jean allowed herself a private smile. If only Dani knew what Rahne was _really_ up to, this particular morning. “I really just came to check on you, to see if there was anything I could do.”

“Thanks,” Dani said, and there was genuine gratitude in her voice. “But I’m okay. I mean, I’m not going to harm myself. But it’s really nice to know that someone’s watching. That someone cares.”

“Dani, believe me, everyone at the annex cares about you. Everyone.”

“I know. I know you do,” Dani nodded. “That’s why I keep trying to hang on. But every now and then... I might need a little help from you guys.”

“And when you do, we’ll all be there.” Jean looked over at the stable. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I think I can do something to help you right now.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

Jean made a small gesture with her hand, and a moment later, all the manure on the stable floors went sailing out of the open doorway, over the frozen pond, and landed somewhere in the forest beyond. 

“There,” Jean said with a smile. “At least for one day, you don’t have to put up with any horseshit.”

“Okay, now _that_ was awesome,” Dani admitted, laughing. 

“I have my moments.” Jean turned to start back towards the house. “Don’t be late for supper, okay? And let me know if you need anything.”

“I will,” Dani promised, and she was still grinning with amazement as she resumed refilling the troughs.

* * * 

Kitty Pryde was sitting on the bed in her room, trying to lose herself in her chemistry textbook, and failing miserably. She genuinely appreciated the value of hard science, but she had to admit, she had no real aptitude for it. Chemistry class was undoubtedly going down as an ugly blot on her otherwise spotless academic record. Sighing, she flipped desultorily through the pages, and as she did so, Illyana burst into the room, shut the door behind her and leaned up against it as if she were holding it shut, an incredulous look on her face.

“Well?” Kitty asked, after Illyana had stood there for several moments without moving or speaking. “Don’t keep me in suspense. What did Professor Xavier say?”

Illyana swallowed hard. 

“He said, yes.”

With a squeal of delight, Kitty leaped from the bed, and gathered Illyana in her arms for a crushing bearhug. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew you could do it!”

Kitty actually picked Illyana up, a fairly impressive feat given her diminutive stature, and joyfully swung her around before setting her down.

“Well? Come on, what did he say? Tell me!”

“Well, uhh...”

“I swear, Illy, it’s like pulling teeth with you,” Kitty groaned. “Out with it! I want details!”

“Sorry. Sorry. I’m just - I didn’t expect him to say yes,” Illyana confessed. “I thought for sure he’d say something like, ‘you haven’t had enough experience in the field’ or ‘your personality profile is not suitable’ or something like that. But I told him what I told you, and he was actually very interested. He even wants us to meet a potential student tomorrow morning. A sort of trial run for the new ‘first contact’ team.”

“Illy, that’s wonderful!”

“There’s a catch,” Illyana cautioned. “He’s only willing to let us try this if you’re with me, and Jean comes too. So I need to hurry home to talk to Jean. If she says no, then we can only go if one of the other X-Men comes with us.”

“Oh, we have got to tell Piotr right away,” Kitty exclaimed.

“Oh, Katya, no, no, no, no,” Illyana pleaded. “Anybody but my brother, please, _please._ I can’t faceplant in front of him on my first mission, I just can’t.”

“Oh, come _on,_ Illy. You are _not_ going to faceplant. You’re going to be awesome. But, I can understand you might be nervous, taking your first mission with the X-Men. So, you go talk to Jean. I’ll go talk to Ororo, and see if she can spare anyone tomorrow morning for an away team, just in case Jean says no.”

She hugged Illyana again out of sheer exuberance. “Oh, this is so _awesome!”_

Illyana continued to stand where she was, a stupefied look on her face. 

“What is it? What’s the matter?” Kitty asked.

Illyana gave her friend a rueful smile. “Did I just turn myself into a functioning adult?”

Kitty burst out laughing. “Yes. Yes, you did,” she declared. “Illyana Rasputin, functioning adult. Your brother is going to be so proud of you.”

Illyana sighed deeply. She seemed to be struggling with a deeper emotion than simple elation. 

“I really never thought this was going to happen for me,” she confessed in a quiet voice. “Get past all the damage, the trauma. To stop being a monster, a cripple. I can’t believe this is really happening.”

Kitty hugged her tightly. “I never doubted you’d get here,” she murmured. “Never for a moment. You’re too strong, too smart, to stay demonic forever. I _knew_ you’d make it. And I am so happy for you, Illy, so very happy. I love you _so_ much.”

The two friends hugged each other tightly for several moments, but finally, Kitty held Illy out at arm’s length.

“Okay, you really need to go,” she said. “And so do I. I’ll see you back here first thing tomorrow morning. Just one other thing. Do you want to tell Piotr? Or do you want me to do it?”

Illyana thought for a moment. “You tell him, please,” she requested. “I’m just too nervous right now. I definitely want to see him the minute we get back, though.”

“I’ll let him know. Oh, Illy, I am so _excited!_ This could be the best thing that’s ever happened for both of us!”

Illyana smiled, finally allowing herself to feel some of the same elation that Kitty felt. “Yeah. I think this could be a great thing too.” She looked down at the clothes she was wearing, and made a face. “I’ll bring back your schoolteacher clothes in the morning, if that’s okay.”

“Of course it is. Now, go, go, go! We have a future to plan for!”

Illyana grinned, summoned a stepping disc, and in the blink of an eye, whisked herself home.


	6. Chapter 6

Illyana returned to the annex just before lunch. She quickly took Jean aside, and after they had sequestered themselves in the library, she outlined all that had occurred that morning - and was delighted when Jean expressed immediate and obvious interest in the first contact team. 

Moments later, however, those hopes were dashed when Illyana explained that Charles Xavier wanted them in the field the following morning.

“Illy,” Jean sighed. “Amara is still under suicide watch. I can’t possibly leave now.”

“Should I ask Professor Xavier if we can go a different time?” Illy fretted. 

“Absolutely not. The mutant he wishes you to contact might also be in danger. If Charles is asking you to go right away, that usually means whoever he’s found might need our help.”

“But if Amara’s still in danger, shouldn’t I stay here?”

Jean shook her head. “Rahne, Sam and I are responsible for Amara. You have a request coming directly from the headmaster of the entire school. You need to follow through as he has tasked you. I’m so sorry, Illy. I really do wish I could go with you tomorrow. If Charles authorizes future first contact missions for you, I will gladly join you then. But for now, I need to stay here.”

Illy’s face fell. Of course, Jean was right. And the first contact mission could still go ahead, with another X-Man in Jean’s place - although Illy clearly had her heart set on having both Jean and Kitty with her on the first away mission she would lead. Still, there was nothing to be done. 

As they were about to complete their quick discussion, there was a rapping at the library door, and Hank McCoy peeked in.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “But I believe I know what you two are discussing - and I think I can help.”

He stepped into the library and closed the doors behind him. “Am I right in thinking you are discussing the first contact mission tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir,” Illyana nodded.

“I just got off the phone with Charles. I advised him of our situation here. He has offered to spend the entire day at the annex tomorrow, so that Jean can be free to join the away mission.”

“Professor, I couldn’t...” Jean began to protest.

Hank held up a hand. “I know. I’m worried about Amara, too. But, I sincerely believe that as long as Charles is here, then you can assist Illyana on her first away mission without any worries. Charles particularly wants you to go. He seems to think that the two of you - along with Miss Pryde - have real potential as a team, and he wants you to have that chance to work together, and see how you cohere. If your mission tomorrow goes well, he’s seriously considering making this a permanent assignment for all of you. And I promise you, we will not allow Amara to come to any harm. If it comes to that, we’ll have every single person in the annex sitting in her room with her - but I’m reasonably sure it won’t come to that.”

* * * 

The rest of the short winter’s day passed by in what seemed like no time at all, and by suppertime, it had already been dark for several hours. The approaching winter storm had stalled, but it was by no means gone; it just meant that the heaviest snowfall would occur the following morning, instead of that evening. A few gusts of wind still remained to remind anyone that bad weather was still approaching.

Normally, all the students would gather in the living room after supper to watch a movie or play a board game together, but Dani’s heart simply wasn’t in it. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed, pull the covers up over her head, and hibernate until spring. 

Rahne insisted she come to the living room anyway, and Dani groaned in dismay, but she did not refuse. Generally, whenever Rahne asked her for anything, Dani almost always capitulated to that request, and tonight was no exception. She was somewhat surprised, however, to see that in the living room, Sam, Amara, Illy and Roberto were standing around - in their winter coats, boots and hats. Roberto was carrying with him a large, shallow drum that instantly reminded Dani of the traditional medicine drums she’d seen used at celebrations on all the reservations. 

“What’s going on?” she asked suspiciously.

“Tonight, we are having a circle ceremony,” Rahne told her, offering Dani her winter coat. 

“What, a truth circle? Outside?”

“Not a truth circle. A wolf circle.”

Dani blinked in surprise. She had no idea what Rahne was talking about. “What do you mean, a wolf circle?”

“Get your coat on,” Rahne ordered, in a surprisingly no-nonsense voice. Baffled, Dani looked to the other students for some explanation - but they just shrugged, and tilted their heads towards Rahne. Whatever was planned, it was all Rahne’s idea.

A few moments later, the six friends stood outside, just a few feet away from the back porch. A small bonfire, barely a foot across, was already blazing in a small patch of cleared ground. Rahne instructed everyone to gather around the fire in a rough circle.

“Okay, would somebody please tell me why we’re standing out here, freezing our asses off?” Dani asked.

She looked over at Rahne, and suddenly gasped in surprise. Rahne hadn’t changed to her full wolf form, but her eyes had, and she stood in a curious, feral crouch, that instantly reminded Dani of a wolf about to leap - even though Rahne was still, apparently, mostly human. 

“Brothers! Sisters!” Rahne cried, sweeping her arm out in front of her. It was a fairly theatrical motion, but it wasn’t meant for entertainment - whatever this was, it was deadly serious. The fingers of her hand were curled inwards and resembled a claw more than a human hand. “Our pack is gathered together! Let the Wolf Circle now begin!”

At Rahne’s cue, Roberto took up the drum, and began to pound out a slow, steady beat, as persistent and propulsive as a heartbeat. 

“Our pack is in danger!” Rahne cried, as the drumbeat continued. “We have a wounded wolf among us. In order for the pack to remain strong, our sister wolf must be healed! Her spirit must be restored, so she may run with the wind, and carry us away in safety to all the sacred places!”

Dani still hadn’t the faintest idea what was going on - but now she had a glimmer of its intent. Perhaps this was some sort of ceremony meant to help Amara?

Something in Rahne’s voice was changing, as well, as if she had somehow shifted her larynx halfway between its human and lupine forms - and as she spoke, her voice took an inhuman, feral quality that was decidedly unnerving to listen to. 

“Let our sister wolf stand forth!” Rahne shouted. “Let all our brother and sister wolves look to her, so that we may bring healing to her heart, and cleanse from her the poison that sickens her spirit!”

Dani glanced over at Amara, fully expecting she would be the one to be called forth. So it was to her great surprise when Sam clasped one of her hands, and Illy clasped the other. 

“Guys?” Dani asked, beginning to grow vaguely alarmed. “Come on, now, what’s going on here?”

Rahne stepped in that narrow space between Dani and the tiny bonfire. 

“Sister,” she said, in a voice that Dani had never heard before, “You are troubled. Your heart is sick, and your soul is weary.”

And suddenly Dani understood - this ceremony, whatever it was, was very real and there was no play-acting involved in it. But she also knew that it was Rahne leading this ceremony. And she would follow Rahne anywhere. She had trusted her life and soul to her on many occasions before this. She would trust her now.

“What must I do?” she asked. 

“You must open your heart to us, my sister. You must let your pain be heard on the wind. Your brother and sister wolves must see into your soul, and they will lend their strength to you, so you may be restored to us.”

She turned and shouted in an utterly inhuman voice, “Let the howling begin!”

The drumbeat became louder and slightly faster.

“Let your voices be heard, my brothers and sisters! Sing to the winds and the stars and the moon! Let your call be heard in the sacred places of our ancestors! Howl! Howl to all the great spirits! Call them here to cleanse our sister! Howl!”

There was something in Rahne’s voice that was inhumanly compelling, and one by one, all the students began to raise their voices in wolf-like howls, hesitantly at first, but growing in strength and ferocity under Rahne’s continuous exhortations. Then Rahne herself howled, and this was not a howl made by a human voice - it was the howl of the direwolf. All the human voices joined with her in chorus. Roberto had joined the circle - the drum was no longer in his hands, and yet the beating of that drum was still throbbing, louder than ever. How was this possible?

Dani joined in. She couldn’t help it. As ridiculous as it felt, as ridiculous as it sounded, something compelled her to throw back her head - and howl. And howl she did. Each time Rahne exhorted the pack to begin again, Dani howled longer and louder than before, and each time she did, she was aware of a profound change taking place.

The howls stopped being silly or comical. Everyone was howling, and there was real tension, real pain, every time. Dani could feel her heartbreak swelling in her chest - and each time she howled, more of that pain was released. She could actually feel it flowing out of her body, forcibly expelled in the yowls and yelps she emitted. She was keening in the truest sense. 

And she wasn’t alone: Sam, and Amara, and Roberto - even Illy - all of them were channeling some private pain of their own and casting it out of themselves. The howls became louder, fiercer, longer. The howls were carried up and away on the skirling wind, taking with it an unknown quantity of anguish and pain. 

Dani couldn’t stop. All the pain she’d ever felt was erupting from her now, violent and primal, forcing its way out, each new howl a borderline scream. The loss of her mother. The death of her father. The constant moving. The angry, accusing neighbors. The screams. The nightmares. The hideous creatures pulled from every subconscious mind. The destruction. The death. All of it. 

Tears began streaming down Dani’s cheeks. Still, she howled. And she howled until she could howl no more. 

The beating of the drum abruptly stopped. 

The only sound was the beating of Dani’s own heart, and the intermittent skirl of the winter wind.

Like a light switch, the rage and pain in her simply vanished - along with any energy holding her upright. Dani slowly sank to her knees in the snow, exhausted and spent. She leaned forward, hands on knees, softly crying, but the paroxysm of grief had passed. All the pain that had been building up within her was gone, vanished, purged, and she was empty - blissfully, wonderfully empty. The angry ghosts that had for so long haunted her head and heart were not silent - they were exorcised. 

Rahne came forward and put her small hands on Dani’s shoulders. Dani looked up at her. Rahne had been crying, too; her cheeks were wet with tears. 

“Sister,” she whispered softly, “You have been healed.”

And Dani realized that yes, she _was_ healed. She looked up at Rahne, nearly in awe. 

“You’re... not just a werewolf, are you?” she asked, her voice nothing more than the faintest rasp. “What _are_ you?”

“I am the woman who loves you,” Rahne said simply, as if that would answer all Dani’s questions.

And it did.

* * * 

A few minutes later, the bonfire carefully extinguished, everyone had returned to the welcoming warmth of the living room. Dani expected everyone to simply collapse on the sofas and couches, much as she longed to do. Yet, no one took a seat. They were all standing around expectantly. A few moments later, Hank, Moira, Sean, Scott and Jean all came into the living room as well. Apparently, something else remained to be completed in the Wolf Circle ceremony.

Rahne stepped forward again to address the group, but this time, she had completely resumed her human aspect. She seemed to be exhausted from the ritual - they all were - but otherwise, all trace of her wolf-self was submerged again. 

“There is one final ceremony we need to complete tonight,” she said, “To make our sister whole and well again. I ask that you all stand in witness with us on the night of our bonding.”

Her voice was slightly husky from all the howling. Dani wasn’t even sure if she had any voice left to speak with. 

Rahne turned to Dani and looked directly into her eyes. 

“You and I have pledged ourselves to each other many times, in private,” she said quietly. “But tonight, with all of our friends as witnesses, I would like to make our bonding formal.”

She reached into her pocket, and pulled forth a long, white silk ribbon, perhaps three-quarters of an inch wide, and long enough to twine two arms. Dani clapped her hands to her mouth in shock - as well as joy - as she realized what Rahne meant to do. Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

Rahne took Dani’s right hand, and carefully wound one end of the ribbon halfway up Dani’s forearm, keeping the loose strand between her own fingers. This done, she placed her left hand over Dani’s heart. Rahne looked into Dani’s eyes, and Rahne’s eyes too were filled with tears.

“Dani Moonstar,” Rahne said, in a slightly shaking voice, “Tonight, I choose you. Before our friends and family, and the spirits of our ancestors, I choose you. From this night forth, I belong to you, and you alone. I will love you all the days of my life, until there is no air left in my lungs, and my legs can no longer run. I am yours and you are mine. As long as we both shall live.”

Dani was openly crying now. With badly shaking hands, she took the remaining length of ribbon, and wound it up Rahne’s forearm, just as Rahne had done for her. Then, with their right hands joined, Dani placed her left hand over Rahne’s heart.

“Rahne Sinclair,” Dani began to repeat the bonding vows, barely able to speak. “Tonight, I choose you. Before our friends and family, and the spirits of our ancestors, I choose you. From this night forth, I belong to you, and you alone. I will love you all the days of my life, until there is no air left in my lungs, and my legs can no longer run. I am yours and you are mine. As long as we both shall live.” 

And then she quickly added, “My lover. My friend. My miracle. My beautiful Rahne.”

As Dani leaned forward to kiss Rahne, she was peripherally aware that there were cheers, and shouts of joy and applause all around them - but it was somehow sublimated, submerged, like thundering waves crashing on a far-off distant shore, and the space where she stood with Rahne was serene, soundless, suspended between the waking world and the dreaming one; and as Dani held her precious soulmate in her arms, she suddenly understood, with perfect clarity and exhilarating joy, what it meant to become whole.


	7. Chapter 7

The following morning, the long expected blizzard finally set in. While the storm had lost some of its teeth overnight, another heavy snowfall had started, and for Salem Center and the surrounding environs, the accumulations were expected to be well over two inches. 

Up in the bedroom she shared with Scott Summers, Jean Grey was busy preparing for her first away mission in over ten years. She didn’t feel anxious, or uneasy. But as she shrugged the away mission jacket over her undershirt, she paused for a moment, reflecting soberly on its significance. The last time she’d worn an outfit like this was the day she almost died. 

No, strike that. She _had_ died. And with the help of an alien symbiont, she had brought herself back to life. Not something she could easily explain, not even to the people she loved most in the world. 

She turned away from the mirror and saw that Scott was sitting up in bed, watching her get dressed. She made a face at him.

“Oh, don’t look so glum,” she chided playfully. “I can make these clothes disappear in the blink of an eye.”

“Then why don’t you?” Scott grinned.

“Because, sweetheart, I have to go to work today,” she told him with mock severity. “I have an important job to do.”

She crawled onto the bed just far enough to give him a quick kiss. “Don’t worry,” she murmured softly. “Everything is going to be fine. Illy, Kitty and I are going to find Charles’ new mutant, and we’ll be home before you know it.”

“I sure hope so.”

“Count on it.” She kissed him again. “We have to pick out our rings this weekend. Now that Rahne and Dani have tied the knot, we have no excuses.”

“No, we sure don’t,” Scott agreed wholeheartedly.

“I was thinking, we might do exactly what they did. Just have a small service here, with our friends and family. I don’t need the big production wedding. I don’t think you want that, either.”

“I’m perfectly fine with that.”

“Good.” Jean kissed him again, longer this time, and more ardently. “Charles will be here, right after he’s briefed us on the away mission. I want you to promise me, you’ll keep a close eye on Amara all day.”

“I’ll guard her like she was my own kid,” Scott vowed. “But I doubt we’ll see any of them stirring much before noon. That was some pretty wild shit last night. And Rahne really made all that happen, huh? Not bad for a werewolf so tiny you could sit her inside a thimble.”

Jean smiled. “She’s not just a werewolf, Scott. Rahne is a very special young woman. In Dani’s culture, she’s probably what they would call a _shaman_ \- someone who is capable of channelling and directing powerful and ancient magic. I’m sure in the Scottish highlands, they also have a name for people like her. I just have no idea what it is.”

“Spooky?” Scott suggested, and Jean gave him a playful punch on the arm. 

Reluctantly, she got up off the bed. “All right. I have to get going. First away mission in over ten years, and I don’t want to be late.”

“Jean,” Scott called after her. “Stay safe out there.” 

Jean might not have felt any pre-mission jitters, but Scott obviously did. 

She smiled at him. “I’ll come back to you,” she promised. “I always do.”

Then she opened the door, slipped out in the hallway, and closed the door behind her.

Illyana Rasputin was just coming out of Berto’s room, dressed in her Magik outfit and apparently wide awake and ready to go to work. Jean regarded her friend’s attire dubiously.

“Are you really going out on an away mission dressed like that?” she asked.

“You can talk,” Illyana retorted, but her voice came out as little more than a horrible sandpaper rasp.

“Yikes! But _you_ can’t,” Jean grimaced. “Hold on a second.” She concentrated for a moment, frowning. “There. Save your voice. I’ve established a telepathic link between us. Just think what you want to say, and I’ll hear you.”

“That’s better, thanks,” Illyana said, trying to project her thoughts as coherently as she could. “My very first away mission as team leader, and I can’t say a word. Ugh.”

“How sore is your throat? Are you as bad as you sound?”

“It hurts,” Illyana admitted. “Not that bad, though. I just hope I don’t have to shout any orders in the field today.”

“That makes two of us. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have an away mission uniform, like the X-Men wear?”

“I’m not one of the X-Men,” Illyana pointed out. 

Jean thought that over for a moment, and then had a happy idea. “In that case, may I...?”

She reached for Illyana’s right shoulder, and Illyana, after a moment’s hesitation, nodded her assent. Jean made a small gesture, then smiled. 

“There. Now, you’re an X-Man.”

Illyana pulled her shoulder forward so she could see. On the shoulder pad, Jean had telepathically stitched one of the circular Xavier School patches, with a bright red “X” in the center as the prominent feature. Illyana nodded her approval.

“That will do,” she allowed.

They descended the stairs and came into the kitchen. To Jean’s surprise, Amara was already awake and dressed, sitting at the dining table with a mug of tea, and staring out the window at the rapidly falling snow. She smiled warmly at Jean and Illy as they entered the room. 

“Sweetie, what are you doing down here?” Jean exclaimed in dismay. “No, no, no. You’re not supposed to be alone. You need to have somebody with you.”

Amara started to speak, then winced with pain. She quickly mimed that she had a sore throat, and then put her hand over her heart. 

“I’m okay,” she whispered, which was all she could do at the moment. “I’m okay.”

Jean did a quick telepathic scan, and much to her surprise, found that Amara’s pain level - which had basically been off the charts the day before - had subsided significantly. It was still there, but nowhere near the danger levels Jean had previously registered. 

“You’re feeling better,” she murmured in relief. “You’re feeling a _lot_ better. Well, apart from your throat. Looks like Dani wasn’t the only one who got a benefit from the wolf circle last night.”

“Yeah, and what the hell _was_ that, anyway?” Illyana asked. “Was that something you did? Because it sure didn’t seem like something Rahne could do.”

“Believe it or not, that was all Rahne. All I did was tell her that we had a problem. I left it up to her to decide how to handle it. What each of you experienced last night was power that Rahne alone summoned.”

“Seems there’s a lot more to our therapy wolf than meets the eye,” Illyana muttered in grudging admiration.

“Ladies, I am going to give you a piece of well-intentioned advice, and ignore it at your peril,” Jean declared, as she zipped up the front of her jacket. “Do not mess with the therapy wolf.” She turned back to Amara. “Is someone coming down to sit with you?”

Amara nodded. “Sam’s taking a shower right now,” she whispered. “He’ll be down in a few minutes to make me breakfast.”

“All right,” Jean allowed. “But I want someone close to you all day today, you understand me? And _no_ harming yourself,” she added sternly.

“I promise.”

“Good.” Jean leaned in, and caressed Amara’s cheek, then ran her hand down the back of Amara’s head, in a very maternal gesture. “Illy and I have to leave now, but the minute I get back, I’m going to come check on you, okay?”

“Please do that,” Amara nodded. She had obviously decided she was going to accept Jean as a guardian figure, or at least as a protective older sister.

“Okay, then.” Impulsively, Jean left a kiss on Amara’s forehead. “I’ll see you later.”

Jean and Illy walked into the living room, where Illy would have space enough to summon a stepping disc without any of the surrounding furniture getting caught in it.

”The only protection Amara’s going to need is a box of condoms,” Illyana cracked.

Jean sighed. “Illy, you speak truer than you know,” she said. “But that’s a detail that can wait until after we get home. Come on, let’s go.”

A few moments later, Illyana and Jean arrived in the main hallway of the Xavier mansion, the centerpiece of the main campus of the school. Kitty Pryde was waiting for them, with a huge smile on her face, and also wearing an away mission uniform, similar to the one Jean was wearing. She also had a small canvas utility bag slung over one shoulder.

“Good morning, Kitty,” Jean greeted her. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to establish a telepathic link between you, me and Illy. She’s got a really bad sore throat, and can barely talk.”

“Sure,” Kitty nodded, and then she turned to Illyana with an expression of concern. “Sore throat, huh? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Illyana assured her. “What’s in the bag?”

“Oh, just a few things. Mini first aid kit. Bottle of water. Hand torch. Emergency beacon. A flare. A general purpose scanner for radiation, toxins in the atmosphere, that sort of thing. It also has GPS coordinates where we can store location information from Cerebro. And a bar of chocolate,” she added with a grin. “Things I hope we never need, but, we’re not traveling in a plane or anything. Whatever we need, we’ll have to carry with us.”

“Not a bad idea,” Jean nodded approvingly. “And once we’ve done this a few times, we can come up with a standard kit, maybe something each of us could carry.”

“A few times?” Illyana grinned. “Planning on making a career of this, are you?”

Jean laughed. “Let’s get through this mission first,” she suggested.

Charles Xavier came rolling up to them in his wheelchair, a delighted smile on his face. He seemed positively ebullient.

“Ladies. Good morning,” he greeted them warmly. “Thank you for being willing to take on this task on such short notice.”

“We’re grateful for the opportunity, Professor,” Jean told him. “By the way, Illy’s got a sore throat this morning. We already have a telepathic link established between the three of us, but if you need to communicate with her during the briefing, better do it telepathically.”

“Of course. Sore throat, eh? Not an illness, I hope,” he said with concern.

Illyana shook her head. “Just too much howling at the moon.”

“Ah. Yes. I remember being young myself, once,” Charles answered, and nobody was sure if that was meant to be a joke or not. “Please, follow me,” he said, turning his chair. “I tracked our mutant last night, but before I send you out in the field, let’s just make sure he hasn’t moved.”

He ushered them into a nearby lift, and a few moments, they had descended several floors beneath the mansion. As they exited out into the hallway, all three women looked around in curiosity. 

“It just occurs to me, I don’t believe any of you have been down here before,” Charles Xavier told them. “This way, please.”

He rolled up to a large, round metal doorway recessed in one of the side passages. A retina scan activated automatically.

 _”Welcome, Professor,”_ said an automated voice, and the gate recessed into the wall, revealing a large, open room, spherical, almost like a planetarium. 

“Jean, Kitty, Illy, welcome to Cerebro,” Xavier said, rolling inside. “Basically, this is our mutant detection and location system.”

“Oh, so _that’s_ what this room is,” Illyana exclaimed.

Xavier frowned in puzzlement. “Have you been in here before, Illy?”

“Oh, ahh, when you guys went missing in your little time bubble, Professor McCoy had me teleporting into every room in the school, trying to find any trace of you,” Illyana explained. “I just looked around and saw a big, empty room. I had no idea what it was used for.”

“Ah, well, now you know.” Xavier took a headset that looked like an oversized motorcycle helmet, and carefully placed it over his head. “If you’ve never seen Cerebro in operation before, it can seem a little unsettling,” he warned them. “Just stay as still as you can, and please don’t speak for a few moments while I adjust the settings.”

The Professor’s warning was well-served. As Cerebro attempted to re-locate the mutant Xavier had in mind, the display around them seemed to dip and roll much like a roller coaster. Illyana decided that until Cerebro had established the coordinates, she might be better off staring at her boots. 

“Ah, there he is,” Xavier murmured. 

A few moments later, Cerebro had settled on the location. Kitty took out her portable scanner / tracker and uploaded the appropriate information into it. 

“Looks like we’re going to India, you guys,” she announced. “In the south, not that far from the coast.” She held out the display to Illyana. “Illy, think you can get us there?”

After a moment, Illyana nodded. “Yeah. I can manage that.” She grinned. “Hey, now I’ll be able to say I’ve been someplace further than Hawaii.”

“Which reminds me, we really need to go back there sometime soon,” Kitty said. “Or basically anywhere with cabana boys.”

“Let’s go find our lost little boy first,” Jean suggested. 

Charles and Jean exchanged a significant look with each other. Each of them remembered, only too vividly, what had happened the last time Jean had taken part in an away mission. It had been literally years since that time - but it hardly seemed to make any difference. Xavier looked even more concerned than Scott had.

Jean gave him her warmest, most reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Charles,” she murmured. “Today’s mission is going to have a happy ending. I promise you that.”

“All the same, be careful, Jean.”

“We will. We are all coming back to you, every one of us, safe and sound,” Jean vowed. “And we’ll see you over at the annex later today, okay?”

“All right. Godspeed, Jean. Godspeed to all of you,” Xavier added.

Illyana double-checked the recorded coordinates on Kitty’s tracker, nodded she was ready, and summoned a stepping disc. She and Kitty and Jean all stepped inside it. 

“See you soon, Professor,” Illyana said, and a moment later, the stepping disc vanished, and so did the three women, disappearing without a trace, as if they’d never been there at all.


	8. Chapter 8

When Illyana, Kitty and Jean arrived at their destination, they emerged from the stepping disc into complete and utter darkness.

This was not a natural darkness, either. It was a total absence of light - nothing was visible whatsoever. The three women stood back-to-back, with the idea that they could call out that everything was clear within their line of sight upon their arrival. And the darkness they stepped into robbed them of that in the first instant. 

Illyana kept her sword drawn, and crouched in a defensive posture, as a precaution. 

“What’s going on?” Kitty asked. “It’s not nighttime in India right now... is it?”

“This isn’t nighttime,” Jean said, unnerved that she could not even see her companions, who were both within touching distance. “This is... something else.”

“Katya, you said you had a torch?” Illyana asked.

“Sure. Hang on.” Kitty rummaged in her bag, thankful at least she would recognize the torch by touch, because she certainly couldn’t see anything.

A moment later, Kitty found it, and switched it on. But there was no beam of light. 

“What in the world...?”

Kitty flicked the power switch on and off several times, but no light. “I know I put fresh batteries in this before we left,” she said, aggravated.

“No, wait, Kitty,” Jean said. “I can see it. Sort of. Whenever you move the light in my direction, I can see the lens light up. Whatever this is, it’s swallowing the light up as soon as it’s emitted.”

“Is that even possible?” Kitty said, obviously baffled. 

“Well, this is just great,” Illyana grunted in irritation. “Jean, how about a telepathic scan? Are we alone?”

There was a brief pause while Jean used her telepathic powers like a searchlight. “I have one contact, probably thirty yards away, almost due east,” she reported. “Apart from that, I detect no one but us.”

“Katya, if you can read the display on your tracker, check to make sure we’re really where we’re supposed to be,” Illyana suggested. 

“Sure.” Again, there was the sound of Kitty’s rummaging through her equipment bag. A moment later, she retrieved the device. 

“Wow,” she murmured. “Yeah, I can barely read the display, the light is so dim, it’s like a dying battery or something. But the device _is_ functioning. And according to the GPS, this is where Professor Xavier said we’d find our mutant.”

“Is it possible our mutant is causing... this?” Jean asked. 

“You said he was about thirty yards away, right? How likely is it that he’s somehow turning off all the lights at that distance?”

“I don’t know, do you have a better explanation?”

“The real question is, how can we move around in this?” Illyana asked. “It’s not like we can see anything.”

“Let me try something.” Jean turned slightly outward, and raised her arm. “I just hope we’re actually in a clear, open area, and that there’s nothing directly above us.”

She created a bright band of energy, basically a fire ribbon, and shot it straight upwards. And while all three women could see the energy blast, it did not penetrate or illuminate the darkness, and after a moment, it completely vanished from sight.

“Well, so much for that idea,” Kitty sighed. 

“Jean, you’ve got a psychic ‘fix’ on our contact?” Illyana asked.

“Yes.”

“Any chance you could communicate with him? Maybe ask him to turn the lights back on?”

“I could try, but he might not speak English,” Jean answered. “And I certainly don’t know any Hindi or Bengali, or any other Indian dialects.”

“Well, give it a try, anyways,” Illyana said. “See if you can give him a non-verbal suggestion that help is coming if he can stop doing... whatever this is.”

“Okay. I’m sorry, but that will probably take a few minutes. So bear with me.”

“Take all the time you need.” Illyana straightened up, out of her crouch, but she didn’t make her sword vanish. Although she lowered her arms to her sides, she kept a tight grip on the weapon - just in case. 

A few moments later, Jean groaned with dismay.

“He’s just a little boy,” she cried. “I’m guessing four, maybe five years old at most.”

“And he’s out here all alone?” Kitty was aghast.

“His thoughts are really incoherent, like he’s concussed, or... or...”

“Starving?” Illyana said the word Jean couldn’t bring herself to say.

“He’s terribly frightened. I don’t know if I can get through to him, but I’m going to try project a sense of comfort and reassurance. This won’t be like direct conversation with a fully developed and coherent adult mind, so please be patient.”

“It’s okay, Jean. Anything you can do will be helpful.”

A few moments later, the darkness began to wane. While it wasn’t exactly light yet, the women could at least see a few feet in front of them. The darkness was slowly lifting, like a dense fog that had been made of vaporized oil. 

“I’ve managed to calm his mind a bit,” Jean announced. “Sorry, Illy, I don’t dare do more. I don’t know what kind of state he’s in, and I don’t want to push too hard.”

“No, this definitely helps,” Illyana assured her. “At least we can see well enough to know we’re not about to walk off a cliff or something. Let’s go find him.”

From what little they could see, they appeared to be on the side of a steep, rocky hill, littered with fairly decent-sized boulders and other debris. The vegetation was fairly sparse. The three women inched their way along what seemed to be a ridge, picking their way carefully over the rough terrain. 

As they got closer to the mutant they sought, the darkness began to lift away entirely. 

“I’ve got good contact with him now,” Jean said. “I’m still trying to project reassurance to him, and he seems to be responding. We should be able to see him any time.”

They finally came upon the boy in a steep cul-de-sac that looked like the remnants of an ancient rockslide. He was propped up against one of the boulders, just inside the shadow of an overhang. His clothes were surprisingly clean but his face was puffy from apparent sun poisoning. 

As the women approached, he curled into himself, apparently too weak to run away or fight, but obviously frightened. 

“Might be better if only one of us goes,” Kitty suggested. “Might keep him from getting too scared.”

Jean tried advancing first, but the child wailed in fright, and she halted mid-step. 

“Do you want me to just grab him?” she asked. “I could lock his mind in fugue state, but his condition is so poor, I really don’t know what that would do to him.”

“Let me try something,” said Illyana. “Katya, can I have that water bottle?”

“Sure.”

Kitty handed the bottle to Illyana, and she cautiously moved closer to the boy, but not approaching him directly. He watched her, distrustfully, but also with some obvious curiosity. Illyana sat down in the dirt a few yards away, and opened the bottle, so the boy could clearly see there was water inside.

“Come on, sweetheart,” she cooed softly. “We just want to help. Come over and see me.”

“He might be too weak to move, Illy,” Kitty observed.

“If that’s the case, I’ll start scooting towards him slowly. Hopefully not enough to spook him.”

The boy did get up a few moments later, tottering on very unsteady legs, and crossed the short distance to where Illyana sat. He practically fell into Illyana’s lap; she caught him and cradled him in her arms. 

“Hey, there, who’s this who came to see me,” she continued to coo at him, hoping that even if the boy had no idea what she was saying, he would recognize a friendly tone of voice when he heard one. 

She offered him the open water bottle, and with dismay she realized he was too weak to hold it himself, so she held it for him, and let him drink his fill. 

Cautiously, Jean and Kitty came up. The boy snuggled against Illyana, apparently deciding she was trustworthy.

“My God, we got to him just in time,” Jean murmured in horror. “Another day out here and he probably would have died.”

“But how did he end up out here?” Kitty asked. “Where’s his family? Isn’t there anybody looking for him?”

“Obviously, we haven’t seen much of the surrounding terrain, but I’m guessing wherever we are, it’s a pretty desolate spot,” Illyana said, gently stroking the boy’s filthy hair. He was conscious enough to take some of Illyana’s long blonde locks in his small hands, staring at her hair in total bewilderment. 

“He’s probably never seen anybody remotely like you, Illy,” Kitty observed. “With your pale skin and blonde hair. Not exactly common in this region of the world.”

Abruptly, Jean stood up and walked a few paces away. Kitty and Illyana exchanged a puzzled look, and then Kitty got up to follow.

“Jean, you okay?”

Jean was standing with her back to everyone, her hand over her mouth, huge tears welling in her eyes. 

“They just _left_ him here,” she said in a choked voice. “His parents. They were terrified of him, of the power he has to summon darkness. I saw his memories. They left him here to die. His own mother and father. They _left_ him.”

“Oh, no,” Kitty sighed mournfully. 

“How could anyone _do_ that to their own child,” Jean growled with quiet rage, tears spilling down her cheeks. “How _could_ they?”

Kitty began to realize Jean’s reaction was more than just sympathetic pain to the boy’s plight; she was being actively triggered. 

“Deep breaths, Jean,” she suggested. 

Jean did as Kitty said, drawing in breath sharply, and blowing it out furiously; after a few moments, she was calmer, but tears were still streaming down her face. 

“My father left me,” she said in a barely audible voice. “After I killed my mom. It was an accident. But that didn’t matter. He wanted nothing more to do with me. He was terrified of me, terrified of what I could do. In his eyes, I was a monster. He left me with Charles Xavier, and tried to forget he ever even _had_ a daughter. He... I...”

She had to stop. The words wouldn’t come, but the tears did. She stood there, staring off into space, trying to control her roiling emotions. 

“Jean, I’m so sorry,” Kitty murmured. 

Jean exhaled raggedly. “Sorry. Sorry,” she apologized, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “I really thought I was past this. Guess I wasn’t.”

“Nobody will blame you for feeling upset.”

“I realize now, I was actually very lucky,” Jean said, in a voice thick with grief. “Even if my birth father wanted nothing to do with me, Charles took me in, without ever hesitating, and never once expressing any kind of regret, not that I ever saw. It’s no small thing, to take in a child, to become their guardian. Especially when she has the power to tear apart the entire house with a finger snap,” she added with a tearful smile. “And to this day, Charles still treats me like I’m his daughter. I was so mad at him then, for not telling me the truth about my dad. But the truth is, Charles gave up a huge part of his own life, all for my safety and well-being. He sacrificed so many things, for my sake. I keep trying to remind myself, there are very few people in this world who would ever do that.”

“You’re not still mad at him, are you?”

Jean shook her head tearfully. “I’ve already forgiven Charles Xavier for any harm he’s ever done to me. He made mistakes. But he never once tried to harm me intentionally. All he ever wanted to do was help me. How can you possibly hate a man like that. But then you see something like this, and... God. Those memories are so ugly.”

Kitty heard the sound of a child’s laughter behind them. She caught Jean’s elbow. 

“Jean,” she said, tilting her head, indicating they should turn and look. 

The boy was still cradled in Illyana’s arms, and Illyana had conjured a dragon sock puppet and was gently teasing the boy with it, and he was squealing with laughter. 

“Wow, I never thought I’d ever see that,” Kitty murmured. 

“What? Seeing Illyana playing with a child?” Jean was still wiping away a few stray tears. 

“She always insisted she was never like that.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s true at all,” Jean said quietly. “I think she was always very much like that. She’s just finally given herself permission to feel those things, and to express those things. And look how far it’s taken her already, in such a short time.”

The two women walked back over to where Illyana was sitting. She looked up at them, a huge grin on her face. 

“Well, look who’s made a new friend,” Kitty teased.

“I’m so sorry, Illy,” Jean sighed. “I was... having a moment.”

“Jean, it’s okay. Really. It is okay,” Illyana assured her. She slowly stood up, holding the boy in the crook of her arm, balancing his weight on her hip. “But now, I think it’s time we got this little guy back to the infirmary at Xavier’s. We need to let the nurses check him out and find him a bed. And get some food in him.”

“How about that, my brave young man?” Illyana cooed at the boy. “You wanna come home with us?”

Kitty laughed. “Illy, he doesn’t understand a word you’re saying.”

“Oh, that’s not true, that’s not true at all,” Illyana objected. “He understands. He understands perfectly. Don’t you, little man?” She conjured a new stepping disc. “Come on, you guys,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go home.”

A moment later, the three women and the child they rescued vanished from sight, leaving the desolate ridge to bake in the sudden warmth of a newly-revealed sun.


	9. Chapter 9

The snow was falling thick and fast all around Salem Center, and it was even worse at the annex, where huge new drifts were piling up everywhere around the ranch house and the outbuildings. Inside, however, almost no one took any notice of the weather. Charles Xavier held an impromptu gathering with all the annex students in the living room, and since everyone was still suffering from “wolf circle laryngitis”, he conducted the session telepathically. He learned of Dani and Rahne’s bonding ceremony, and congratulated them warmly on their marriage; and he was intrigued to hear about the “wolf circle” ceremony that Rahne had conducted the night before. 

“This is extraordinary,” Xavier remarked. “You really do seem to have the ability to summon and manipulate psychic energy. None of us had any idea.”

“I’m not like Illy, I don’t cast spells, or anything like that,” Rahne said shyly. “Everybody seemed to be in a lot of pain the last few days, way more than usual, and... I just tried to pull the pain out of them. That’s all.”

“From what I can tell, you succeeded brilliantly,” Xavier told her. “There’s obviously far more to your abilities than any of us realized.”

Rahne practically squirmed with delight at Xavier’s praise. “Illy told me once that it was my job to be the school’s therapy wolf, and ever since, I’ve tried to be just that,” she said. “It seems like it’s the right place for me.”

“It does indeed,” Xavier agreed whole-heartedly.

While that “conversation” was taking place, Xavier discreetly scanned Amara’s mind, and was greatly relieved to sense that while the young woman was still suffering from depression, the symptoms were no longer acute, her mental state had much improved, and she was no longer at any risk for self-harm. 

It was also obvious to everyone that Amara and Sam were becoming quite attracted to one another. _Quite_ attracted.

Rahne’s circle ceremony did seem to have a salutary effect on everyone, despite the sore throats and the relatively low energy level the following morning. All the students seemed to be in much better spirits, and after Xavier had a chance to talk with all of them at length, satisfied there were no further problems to be addressed, he retired to Hank’s study, to confer with Hank and Moira about their plans for the upcoming semester. The students decided the rest of the afternoon would be spent in the living room, gathered around the fireplace and watching old movies on the television. Scott busied himself in the kitchen, appointing himself chef for the day, preparing an early supper. 

As the students started going through a pile of discs looking for suitable movie titles for their marathon, Roberto looked over at Rahne and Dani, who were cuddling happily together under a heavy quilt at the other end of the couch, nearest the fireplace.

“I have to say, I was kinda surprised to see you guys today,” he remarked. “I thought for sure you’d be taking a little honeymoon day, or something.”

“Berto, _please,”_ Dani scoffed. “Rahne and I have been sleeping together practically since the first day we met.”

“Third,” Rahne corrected her. 

“It’s the holidays. We want to hang out with you guys. We can always disappear for an hour or so, if we really need to.”

“There’s going to be a lot more PDA from now on, though,” Rahne promised. “A _lot_ more.”

Roberto shrugged. “That’s fair. I mean, you guys are basically married now.” 

“We _are_ married,” Rahne declared flatly. “There’s no ‘basically’.”

Roberto turned towards Amara and Sam, who were sitting on the opposite couch. “And what about you guys? Are we about to have a third couple here in the annex, or what?”

While Professor Xavier had been holding his session, Amara and Sam had discreetly kept themselves a few feet apart, but now, they had snuggled close to each other, hands tightly clasped. 

“It’s possible,” Amara confided shyly.

“It’s very possible,” added Sam with a grin. 

Roberto nodded thoughtfully. “Look... in that case, some free advice? When Illy and I decided we were ready to get serious, we went to Doctor MacTaggert for the ‘safe sex’ lecture. And I have to say, I was surprised. It was informative... it was actually helpful. And Doctor MacTaggert will give you straight, no bullshit answers to any questions you guys might have. If you’re ready to start seeing each other - and it sure looks to me like you are - you should do the same. Trust me, it’s more than worth any momentary embarrassment when you first ask her about it. And anything you discuss with her is kept completely confidential.”

Amara and Sam exchanged intrigued looks. 

“We’ll do that,” Sam nodded. “Thanks, Berto.”

“And we’re so happy for you guys,” Dani added. “And, Amara, we’re _especially_ happy to see you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks.” Amara stared at the floor, but she was smiling happily. Despite her stunning beauty, Amara never chose to court attention, and actually became quite shy when anyone took any real notice of her. 

“Maybe we could go riding tomorrow?” Dani coaxed.

“I’d like that, very much,” Amara nodded, still smiling. “Thank you.”

“I’m not trying to be nosy, but... is there anything else we can be doing for you?” Dani asked. “We all know the holidays can be kind of crappy sometimes, and that you’ve been having a hard time lately.”

“Please, just keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Amara said. “Every one of you has been so kind to me. I know it probably doesn’t seem like it right now, but I really feel that coming here is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

“We feel the same way about you, Amara,” Sam assured her. 

“And you do know, if you ever feel like you’re in trouble, you can call on any of us for help, right?” Dani pressed.

“I will howl for my pack to come rescue me, at the top of my lungs,” Amara promised with a smile.

“And how about you, fearless leader?” Roberto asked Dani. “Are you still our wounded wolf? Or are you ready to lead the pack again?”

“I’m doing much better, Berto, thanks.” Dani gave Rahne a tight squeeze underneath the quilt. “My therapy wolf is making sure I stay healed and whole. And she is _very_ good at her job.”

* * * 

Jean Grey returned to the annex at the very peak of the storm. Fortunately, her firebird effect had kept her from getting soaked by the freezing water, but flying through the gusty winds and heavy snowfall had been more taxing than she anticipated. Still, she stepped inside the front door, and telekinetically re-arranged her clothing into a simple blouse, slacks, house slippers and her favorite grey sweater coat. 

Knowing she couldn’t get past Hank’s study without saying something, she knocked at the door and peeked in. Hank, Charles, Sean and Moira were all gathered together, seated around Hank’s desk, and they looked up as she knocked.

“Hi! Sorry for the intrusion,” she said, somewhat breathlessly. “Just wanted to let you know we’re home, everybody’s okay, and we have a new student for you, Charles. Illy’s still at the infirmary, waiting for an update, but she promised she would follow right behind me. I’ll come back and give you all the details in just a couple of minutes. One little issue I need to tend to first. I promise, I will be right back.”

Without waiting for a reply, Jean hurried away, then stopped off at the kitchen to greet Scott with a tight hug and a peppering of kisses. 

“Welcome back,” Scott said, kissing her in return. “Everything go okay?”

“Everything went fine, and everyone is home safe,” Jean assured him. “Where are the students?”

“You mean, where’s Amara,” Scott grinned. “She’s fine. Everyone’s in the living room, getting ready for a movie marathon.”

“And I thought _I_ was the mind-reader in the family,” Jean quipped. “So, you’re the chef for the day?”

“Today, it’s all about the pies,” Scott declared with a grin. “Chicken pot pie for dinner, with scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and apple and pumpkin pies for dessert.”

“Sounds wonderful. You’re my hero.” Jean kissed him again before releasing him. “You have flour all over your nose.”

“Do I?” Scott immediately put a hand up to his face. 

“Don’t you _dare_ brush that off,” Jean called over her shoulder, as she walked towards the living room. “You look adorable.”

As Jean walked into the living room, Amara immediately got up off the couch and rushed into Jean’s arms. As Jean hugged her tightly, she did just as Xavier had done earlier, and completed a low-level telepathic scan to assure herself that Amara was feeling better. 

“Go into the library,” she whispered in Amara’s ear. “We need to have a quick private chat. I’ll be right there.”

As Amara released Jean and walked away, Jean turned to Roberto. “Illy’s not back yet,” she told him. “She stayed behind to get an update on the new mutant we brought back with us. And I think she’s going to say hello to her brother before she comes back to the annex. But she should be home soon.”

“Thanks, Jean.” Roberto was genuinely grateful for the update.

Jean glanced at the pile of movie boxes scattered across the coffee table. “So, bad movie night, huh?”

“Bad, nothing,” Roberto snorted. “It’s Humphrey Bogart all the way.”

“You guys are seriously going to have a Humphrey Bogart movie marathon.”

“We seriously are,” Roberto affirmed.

Jean nodded in approval. “Save me some popcorn.”

She entered the library and closed the doors behind her. She settled into one of the chairs, and Amara took a seat in the chair directly across from her.

“Yes, I was reading your mind,” Jean began, without preamble. “I was just checking to see if you’re really okay.”

“I don’t mind,” Amara said, sincerely.

“You really seem to be feeling much better. Even better than when I saw you this morning.”

Amara smiled shyly. “I had a pretty good day.”

Jean took Amara’s hands in hers. “I know it has been difficult for you these past few days, and how hard it’s been, leaving your home, missing your family,” she said quietly. “But I want you to promise me, if you ever start feeling that bad again, I want you to come see me, right away. I can help you.”

“I will.”

“I never want to see you in that state again. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Amara. Not now, not ever. We care about you. Your well-being matters to us.”

“I know. I’m very grateful. And I will need your help,” Amara admitted. “But I really think I’m going to be okay now.”

“Oh? What changed? Was it all that howling last night?”

“The howling did help, but there was something else, too.”

“Like what?”

“I no longer have a family,” Amara sighed deeply. “But, Rahne reminded me, I _do_ have a pack.” She smiled, somewhat self-consciously. “And my pack not only wants me, even loves me... they need me. And... I never expected to feel that. Needed, I mean. It’s surprising. It’s good. It’s... something I can build on.”

Jean nodded thoughtfully in agreement. “Yeah. When Scott and I first talked to Professor McCoy about staying, we honestly didn’t know if we’d be a good fit for the school or not. But, now that we’re here... well... it _is_ nice to know when you’ve found someplace you belong, isn’t it?”

She gave Amara a quick hug. “Okay. Go back to your boyfriend and the rest of your pack,” she said. “I need to go give the professors my report. And remember what I told you, Amara. If you need help, you _yell.”_

Amara grinned. “I promised Dani I would howl at the top of my lungs.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Jean said, smiling. “See you at dinner.”

* * * 

Illyana returned to the school a few minutes after Jean did. She went straight to the study, saw that Jean was already inside, knocked and slipped inside, closing the doors behind her. 

“Hi. Sorry I’m late,” she said, seating herself in the last empty chair. “I assume Jean has brought everyone up-to-date?”

“She has, indeed,” Hank nodded. “It seems your first mission together was a success.”

“Well, maybe,” Illyana said cryptically. “But I have some new information. We finally got a name from the boy. His name is Sandeep. Both the on-duty nurses want to keep him in the infirmary for a few days. He was suffering from extreme exposure when we found him. The infirmary staff are making arrangements for around-the-clock monitoring, until they’re sure he’s out of danger.”

Charles Xavier frowned. “You’re concerned, Illy. Please tell us what’s bothering you.”

Illyana pursed her lips for a moment, thinking. 

“Professor... the mutant we brought back, he is very powerful. But he’s also a five year old boy.”

“Go on.”

“I don’t think the school has ever had a student that young. Certainly there’s no one at the school who is Sandeep’s age now.”

“The youngest students we have are twelve years old,” Xavier nodded. 

“Professor... we did bring him home, and I don’t think that was a mistake. I made the decision that leaving him was not an option. He would have died otherwise.”

“That’s almost certainly true.”

“But by making that decision, I’ve unfairly placed the burden of another dependent on you. Sandeep isn’t ready to be a student. He needs nurturing, guidance, sure, but not in a school setting like Xavier’s. And it will likely be a couple of years before he could even attend classes with the other students. But I couldn’t just let him die, Professor. I couldn’t.”

“That is perfectly understandable,” Xavier assured her. 

“I chose to bring Sandeep here. That means the responsibility for his well-being is ultimately mine. Now, I know what you’re going to say. I’m too young and too inexperienced to suddenly be a full-time mom. And you’re right. It would not appropriate for me to drop everything, and try to do that. But I have kind of placed you in the position of having to decide what’s best for him, and arrange for his care. I’m not ready or able to be his guardian. But, whatever you decide, I do want to take as much responsibility for him as you’ll allow.”

Xavier mulled that over for a long moment. “I realize you think you’ve bonded with the child, Illyana. But that bond is illusory. It doesn’t exist.”

“No. But the responsibility does.”

“And that responsibility is not yours,” Xavier said firmly. 

“Then... can I request that it be partly mine,” Illyana suggested. “If you decide it’s in Sandeep’s best interests to keep him at the school somewhere, that is.”

“Charles, if I may,” Jean broke in. “The dilemma Illy has is, she can’t ask for what’s needed here. One of us needs to offer. Bluntly, Sandeep needs foster parents, at least until such time as he’s able to attend school full time with the other students. I’d like to talk to Scott about the possibility about being his parents... or at least, his guardians.”

“Jean, that responsibility is not yours, either,” Xavier pointed out. 

“No, it’s not. But our only other option is dump the child back in the desert where we found him, and leave him to his fate. I can’t bring myself to even consider that option. I don’t think you can, either.”

Jean sighed deeply, then gave Xavier a warm smile. “How old was I, when you first brought me to your home?” she asked. “Seven, maybe? Going on eight? And how many times in the years that followed did I turn your life, and your home, upside-down? Can you even count them? I can’t. Sometimes, we are presented with a situation where we just have to do what’s needed, and worry about the rest later. Illy’s too young for this responsibility. Scott and I are not. And as long as Hank gives his approval for Sandeep to stay here, then we already have the foundation we need to protect and nurture him. None of us went on this away mission with the expectation we’d find a child this young. But Sandeep’s birth parents have abandoned him. Do you know any other potential foster parents who would willingly care for a mutant child, with already extant powers? Like it or not - we are the only adults in the world who are going to care if this boy lives or dies.”

Xavier sat in grave thought for a long while. “You think you can convince Scott to adopt the child?”

“Scott and I are already trying to conceive a child. I would at least like the opportunity to persuade him that there is already another child who has need of us. I have room enough in my heart for a child with no family of his own. I learned that,” Jean added with a smile, “From the man who was compassionate enough to adopt me, when no one else in the world wanted me.”

“I see.” Xavier mulled that over. He wasn’t going to be able to negate that particular point. “Henry, I don’t suppose you’d care to weigh in on this matter.”

Hank chuckled. “The very first question Scott and Jean put to me, when we were in negotiations for them to join the faculty, was whether or not I could accept a squalling infant under my roof a year into their tenure. Although I had my reservations, I said yes. I decided that the value of having Scott and Jean here would easily outweigh any inconveniences of small preschool children occupying the same space as the student body. I see no reason to change that calculus for Sandeep. The boy is here, and he needs our help. Illy did present us with a conundrum, to be sure. But I cannot fault her decision. I doubt I could have acted any differently, if I had been in her place. We have to remember, not just here at the annex, but at the main campus as well - this isn’t just a place for students to obtain an education. For many of these children, Xavier’s is the only home they have.”

“Charles.” Moira spoke up. “As I think everyone here knows, Sean and I, we couldn’t have any children of our own. While it’s not exactly been a sorrow, it has been something missing in our lives. The boy will be needing godparents. Sean and I would be happy to take on that responsibility.”

Xavier nodded. “Well, then,” he said finally. “It seems there are some decisions to be made. Jean, you can talk with Scott and see what his feelings are on the matter. And Illyana, there is actually something you can do.”

“Of course.” Illyana was all attention. 

“Go circle your wolf pack,” Xavier smiled. “See if they would be willing to tolerate - and in all likelihood frequently babysit - a very young addition to the annex.”


	10. Chapter 10

Illyana called for an impromptu wolf circle a short time later in the living room, as everyone was already gathered there; quickly, she relayed to her friends all the events that had occurred on the away mission, and of the child the team had brought back with them. 

To Illyana’s great relief, and almost inexpressible joy, not only were her fellow students receptive to the idea of having a much younger child in the house - they were downright enthusiastic about it. 

“We get to be aunties?” Rahne exclaimed excitedly. 

“Is he here now?” Dani asked. “Can we see him?”

“He’s still in the infirmary on the main campus,” Illyana repeated that information for them, as it apparently hadn’t sunk in. “He’ll be there for a couple of days. But Jean and Scott have said they are willing to be his guardians, until he’s old enough to go to school. And that means for now, he will be staying here, with us.”

It was Amara, though, who seemed most excited about the news. Ever since her arrival, the newest member of the student body had been extremely shy, very reserved, and hardly ever spoke up about anything. Now, however, she practically leapt up off the couch, gesticulating at them all with intense passion. 

“We _have_ to do this,” she exclaimed. “Scott and Jean might be named as his guardians, but we _all_ have to help. When the wolf pack finds a lost cub, the entire pack adopts that cub and raises it as their own. We have to do the same. Illy, the night we first met, you told me we were just a collection of foundlings and orphans. That may have been true, once. But we’re a pack now. We run together. We support each other. And we have to help take care of this child, together. He’s not an orphan any more and neither are we. He belongs in our family.”

No one had ever seen Amara this passionate about anything, but her spirit was infectious. 

“I agree,” said Dani. “This isn’t just our school. It’s our home. I can’t wait to meet Sandeep and make him part of our wolf pack.”

“Come on, Sam, don’t you think so, too?” Amara asked, still transported.

Sam chuckled. “Yeah, absolutely. I can tell already, Berto’s gonna teach him to play soccer. Which means I need to teach him how to play baseball.”

“When do we get to see him?” Rahne asked.

Illyana held up a protesting hand. “None of this is resolved, yet,” she pleaded with them. “But now that I know you guys are cool with it, it will be easier for the professor to make it happen. And our little cub won’t be out of the infirmary for a few days yet. But I promise, you’ll all get to meet him very soon.”

* * * 

Of course, that didn’t stop Illyana from surreptitiously teleporting back over to the infirmary with Roberto later that evening, so they could have a private glimpse of the sleeping boy while the nurses were out of the room. 

They looked down at the child, so small and seemingly helpless in the large hospital bed, utterly still except for his deep and regular breathing. 

“He’s perfect,” Roberto murmured.

Illyana smiled at him. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely,” Roberto exclaimed, but he kept his voice low, so as to not disturb the boy’s sleep. “He’s beautiful. Look at him. He’s what I imagine our own children would look like. Your skin, white as snow. My skin, black as coal. And our children - right in between, a perfect golden brown.” He grinned. “Baked just right.”

Illyana looked at him, her eyes shining. “You really think about having children. With me.”

“Well, don’t act so surprised, Illy. Sure I think about it. Why wouldn’t I?”

Illyana drew in a sharp breath, taken aback. “I guess... I never thought that far ahead.”

“Are you saying you never thought about having children? Ever?”

“Maybe... the demon part of me never considered having children,” she allowed. “The human part of me... hasn’t had time yet.”

“You could see yourself, mothering this little boy,” Roberto pointed out. “It’s not that big of a stretch.”

“No. It’s not,” Illyana agreed.

“What, did you think I only invited you into my bed because you’re an impossibly hot blonde?” Roberto asked. “Did you think all I was interested in was having sex with you?”

“I _like_ the having sex part,” Illyana said in a small voice. 

“So do I,” Roberto answered. “But that’s not why I did it. I told you. Every time I see the human you, the _real_ you, then I see the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I see her now, so clearly, when I see you thinking about mothering this boy. Your demonic self could never have rescued this child, let alone considered caring for him. That’s all from your human side, Illy. Your beautiful, amazing human side. _That’s_ the person I fell in love with. That’s the person I want to stay with.”

Illyana put an arm around him and hugged him tightly. 

“You say the sweetest things sometimes,” she murmured. “You really... unmake me.”

“Unmake you?” Roberto frowned uncertainly. “Is that a good thing?”

“Every once in awhile, you say things that go right through all the armor I’ve built up around myself,” she admitted. “The words go straight into my heart, and I just feel so... defenseless. But _so_ happy. And so alive. You make me feel like I never imagined I could feel. And when I’m with you, I feel like I could just... _soar._ And sometimes, it absolutely terrifies me that I can feel like that.”

Roberto grinned. “Welcome to true love, Illy.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Illy suddenly took Roberto’s face in both hands and kissed him - with passion, certainly, but also with all the longing, all the tenderness, all the gratitude she knew how to convey. 

“Wow,” Roberto breathed, stunned. 

“That was my first attempt at a ‘true love’ kiss,” Illyana admitted, with a rueful grimace. “Was it really awful?”

“I think... that’s pretty much the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Roberto answered.

And then he kissed her back. 

* * * 

The following morning, the storm had finally blown itself out, and the winter sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky. Hank McCoy stood staring out the living room window, at yet another new unbroken expanse of snow. 

Jean Grey came up to him, and after a moment’s hesitation, slid a slender arm around his waist, and leaned her head against his massive shoulder.

“Tired of looking at it?” she asked.

“Sometimes,” Hank admitted.

“If you want, I could telekinetically snowplow all of it over the hill,” Jean offered. “Push it out of sight.”

“Then what would we be left with? A view of frozen mud, probably,” Hank grinned. “I guess I’ll take the snow. Once you reach a certain age, you begin to realize there are only so many more times you’ll get to experience the seasons. You have to value each one in its passing. You can never be quite sure if you’ll be around to see the next.”

“You’re being very philosophical this morning.”

“Well, I _am_ a professor, you know,” Hank deadpanned.

Jean sighed. “I’m grateful for it,” she decided. “I’m grateful for this life, I’m grateful for the man who will soon be my husband, I’m grateful for my friends, I’m grateful for my home. I’m grateful for these amazing students I get to teach. I’m grateful for the child I’m about to adopt. Mostly, I’m grateful for you. It’s your love, your forgiveness, that makes my life here possible. I’ll never be able to thank you for that.”

“Thanks aren’t necessary, Jean.”

“Thank you, anyway.” She paused. “Raven would be so very proud of you.”

“I like to think she’s watching over us,” Hank said. “It’s a ridiculous fancy, of course. But I like to think it anyway.”

“I’m so sorry for what happened.”

“Jean, you never need apologize for that again.”

“I know.” She sighed heavily. “It’s just, every once in a while, I feel like I should tell you that I _do_ feel remorse. That I remain grateful for your love and forgiveness. And that sometimes... I just miss her. So very much.”

Hank draped one his massive arms across Jean’s shoulder. “Yeah. Me too.”

Side by side, arm in arm, the two friends stared out at the new winter’s day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _... annnnnd that’s the end. For real this time. For anybody who read along this far, and left a kudos or a comment, thank you so much. This project completely ran away with itself and was never supposed to be anything more than one short story. Instead, there’s... all this. Now it’s time for the holiday break, and whatever your faith or beliefs, have a safe and happy holiday. Keep yourselves safe, avoid the plague like the plague, and always take care of the other wolves in your pack, they need you more than you think. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and all the rest. Blessings to you all._


End file.
